


Say You’ll Be Mine

by WonderBat91939



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Curse, Angst, F/M, Mutual Pining, No Curse AU, Slow Burn, This may or may not be, don't know how significant Liam will be yet, inspired by a song, inspired by rewrite the stars, lieutenant duckling AU, no beta we die like killian jones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26921224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WonderBat91939/pseuds/WonderBat91939
Summary: They were not meant to be together. Still, the heart is a pesky and stubborn thing. No curse AU with Lieutenant Duckling.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Say You’ll Be Mine

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I’ve posted in a long time for this fandom, so please be gentle as I get back into the groove.

When she’d first received the news that a ship named the _Jewel of the Realm_ had just arrived in port, Emma was stunned.

Throughout her studies as the crown princess, she had always loved the history books, those belonging to her own kingdom and others’. Well, to be more precise, she loved the books that told of historical legends. Stories from the past where no one knows how much is based on fact or on fiction. One of her all-time favorites, one that intrigued her more than any other, was the _Legend of the Lost Crew_. 

She first discovered the tale from her mother. Emma loved bed time stories when she was a little girl. Every night, she refused to sleep unless her mother told her a story. One night, when Emma was seven years of age, Snow White told her daughter about one of her favorite stories as a girl, one her father Leopold told her. 

About three centuries ago, while the kingdom of Misthaven was at war with another kingdom, a corrupt king had supposedly sent his flagship, the _Jewel of the Realm_ , to an unknown land to gather a magical and medicinal plant, one said to cure any disease. The last recorded sighting of the _Jewel_ came from the logs of enemy ships, a frigate and two corvettes, claiming they were in pursuit of the _Jewel_ , when it deployed a sail seemingly made from feathers and flew. The ship and her crew disappeared into the clouds and were never seen or heard from again.

Many speculated what could have happened to the lost crew, even years after the king was overthrown and Emma’s family claimed the throne. Emma herself didn’t particularly believe a ship could fly, but she lived in a realm with magic, so she supposed anything was possible. 

She became fascinated by the missing ship and spent much of her free time among the books trying to find any trace of the _Jewel_ or her crew. She scanned record books, captain’s logs, history books, and books of local legends from any kingdom that she could get her hands on (and being the crown princess, it wasn’t difficult), but no one knew anything about the ship or the men on board after they vanished. 

Some speculated they got lost at sea. Others thought the ship may have been destroyed in a particularly terrible storm. Others speculated the crew rebelled against the king and became pirates, changing the name of the ship to cover their tracks. Still, others thought perhaps the lieutenant, in want of the glory the discovery would bring, killed his older brother the captain and was then faced with a mutiny, eventually leading to the entire crew killing each other.

Emma wasn’t certain which theory was more likely, only a gut feeling the last one was the least plausible. Even though she had no siblings herself, she doubted anyone selfless enough to serve their country during a time of war would kill their own brother for glory. 

Then again, the people at the time doubted their king could ever be corrupt, a belief shattered when he attempted genocide on innocent civilians of the enemy kingdom, leading to the uprising that brought Emma’s family to power, so she guessed the theory had some merit. As much as any of them, that is.

Still, the unsolved mystery of history was one Emma always enjoyed trying to solve on her own, even if her efforts were fruitless. It did happen three hundred hears ago, after all. 

So, when she heard the reports of the ship bearing the same name as the one from the legend coming into port, she could hardly contain her excitement once she overcame her shock. When her father sent messengers to invite the acting officers on board to the castle to meet with him, she eagerly asked if she could be present for the meeting. 

David simply smiled, knowing of his daughter’s fascination with the legend, and agreed. 

The captain was wary, but accepted the invitation.

Emma was practically buzzing with excitement. She smoothed her hands over her skirt and fidgeted with her sleeves until her mother placed a gentle hand on her arm to still her.

When the doors to the throne room opened, Emma's heart started racing. Two officers entered in uniforms of white, blue, and gold.

The two men bowed politely. The taller one stepped forward and introduced himself as Captain Liam Jones and the man with him as his lieutenant and brother, Killian Jones.

Emma appraised both men. The captain was good looking, she supposed, with blue eyes, brown, curly hair, and a short beard, but nothing special. He certainly didn’t look like the stuff of legends (Emma refused to acknowledge the part of her that was disappointed at that). So, she turned to his brother —

— and felt her heart stop.

His. Eyes. They were so blue. And yeah, so were his brother's, but the lieutenant's eyes drew her in, made her hold her breath, made her heart flutter. They held a promise when they met hers. A promise of what, she didn’t know, but her hands started to nervously twist the fabric of her skirt again when he shyly glanced back down to his feet, allowing Emma to appreciate his long lashes and his cute bangs.

_Gods, help me. He’s adorable._

She knew she was staring, but she didn’t care. She vaguely heard her father and Captain Jones discussing something or other, but her gaze was solely focused on the lieutenant that captivated her.

He lifted his gaze back to hers and gave a small smile, the right side of his mouth quirking ever so slightly before his tongue darted out to wet his lips. Which, of course, drew Emma’s attention to said lips. She couldn’t help the fantasies that immediately bombarded her. She imagined that his lips would be soft, a delightful contrast to his scruff. She wondered what they would look like when they were kiss-swollen and bruised.

_I wonder if he’s a good kisser._

She gave herself a mental shake. She was a princess! She couldn’t be fantasizing about kissing a lieutenant, especially not when her parents were still in the room!

She felt her cheeks flush, heat crawling up the back of her neck as she finally (reluctantly) tore her gaze away from Lieutenant Jones. She tried to refocus on the conversation between her father and the captain, but failed miserably when she saw her mother watching her out of the corner of her eye. The heat in her face and neck grew worse, as she knew she’d been caught staring. She clasped her hands in her lap and focused her gaze on them until she heard her mother speak up for the first time.

"Captain, it would be our great honor to host a ball celebrating your return," she said with a smile.

Captain Jones bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Your Highness, but a ball is, though generous, not necessary. My crew and I have been away for a long time and would like a chance to rest and adjust to being back in our own realm. Especially after we’ve been away for so long."

Snow's smile remained. "Well, if not a ball, then you must at least join us for dinner. We would not be very good hosts if we did nothing to honor your return to Misthaven."

He smiled respectfully. "Well then, Your Highness, we accept your invitation."

David nodded. "Very well, then. Tonight, we shall feast."

~*~*~*~

Emma huffed as Red tied up the laces of her dress. Even if she was excited about the leading officers of the _Lost Crew_ staying for dinner, she didn’t understand why she needed to dress up. The dress she was wearing earlier was fine.

But, her mother had insisted. And the gods help anyone who tried to change Snow's mind on anything. Just ask her dad.

She was grateful that Red at least tied it loose enough so she could breathe.

"All done, Emma." Red stood back and allowed her to look at herself in the mirror.

Emma took one look and smiled when she realized the dark green of the dress brought out her eyes. _I wonder if Lieutenant Jones likes the color green. No, stop it, Emma. You haven’t even really_ met _the guy._ Still, the small smile remained, now accompanied by a barely noticeable blush dusting her cheeks.

"You seem happy for someone who was just huffing about being forced to dress up a few moments ago. What’s on your mind?" Red asked as she reached for the hairbrush.

"Nothing," she answered war too quickly to be convincing. _Way to be subtle, Emma._ When Red raised an eyebrow at her reflection, Emma felt her cheeks burn and watched in embarrassment as the slight blush darkened in color.

"Nothing, huh? Then why are you blushing?" Red paused in the brushing of Emma's hair. "It wouldn’t have anything to do with our guests tonight would it?"

She shook her head, ignoring the heat crawling up the back of her neck at the lie. "Of course not. I haven’t even really met him. I mean, I was in the room when he were introduced, but I didn’t really talk to him. Well, and neither did he. His brother and Dad did most of the talking and—" She cut herself of when she realized she was rambling. And that she had specified which one of the Jones brothers she was supposedly _not_ thinking about.

She stared down at her hands clasped in her lap as Red gave a low hum. The two were silent as she continued to brush Emma's hair until it flowed down her back in gentle, golden waves.

"The lieutenant, right?" Red broke the silence as she placed the brush down on the vanity."

Emma sighed. "Yeah."

"Snow told me you couldn’t stop looking at him." Red picked up a necklace with a silver swan charm with an emerald set as the eye.

Emma was silent as she held her hair. The brunette clasped the chain behind her neck, and she let her hair down.

"You know you can’t get too attached, Emma." She paused for a moment, resting her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "He’s a navy man, and you're a princess."

She gave a barely perceptible nod. "I know." She sighed again. "It’s dumb anyway. Like I said, I don’t even know him."

Red gave her a sympathetic smile. "Well, it’s time for dinner." With that, she left Emma to her own thoughts.

She stood staring at her reflection for a moment. "He’s just a lieutenant. You can’t get attached."

And even though no words had been exchanged between them, Emma felt her chest tighten just the slightest bit at the thought of blue eyes and dark hair.


End file.
